Snack: Cauliflower ?Mac? and Cheese with Lobster

This lower-carbohydrate version of luxurious lobster mac and cheese features crisp-topped, cheesy cauliflower florets and tender poached lobster.

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
1 head cauliflower, trimmed into florets (8 cups florets)
5 cups water
2 4-oz frozen lobster tails or 1 cup chopped imitation lobster meat
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups fat-free milk
1/16 tsp (pinch) nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp hot sauce
3 oz reduced-fat Colby-Jack cheese
4 oz fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Place cauliflower florets in a large microwave-safe dish. Pour 1 cup of water over the cauliflower and cover. Microwave for 12 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Drain and then keep warm.
While cauliflower is microwaving: If using lobster tails, bring 4 cups of water to a boil and then reduce until water is just barely simmering. Add the lobster tails to the water and poach for 7 minutes. Remove the tails from the water to cool slightly. Cut the lobster tails, remove the meat from the tails and chop. Makes about  a cup of lobster meat. 
Add olive oil to a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the milk while whisking. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 3 minutes.
Add the Colby-Jack and cream cheeses and stir until melted.
Add the cauliflower to the baking dish. Use a fork to break up the florets into 1-inch or smaller pieces. 
Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and stir to coat. 
Sprinkle the lobster over the cauliflower and stir to coat.
Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs evenly over the top of the casserole and then spray the top of the panko with cooking spray.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Chef Tip: When poaching lobster tails, the water should be just barely simmering. It will have very few, if any, bubbles.
Choices/Exchanges:  1/2 Starch, 1 Nonstarchy Vegetable, 1 Lean Protein, 1/2 Fat

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